breaking point. and norway releases chilling new video of last year's oslo bomb aack that killed eight people. >> announcer: this is "early today" for tuesday, november 27th, 2012. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. and after weeks of controversy over the obama administration's handling of the u.s. consulate attack in benghazi, the woman in the middle of it all will go face to face with her toughest critics this morning. u.n. ambassador susan rice is heading to capitol hill for a closed door meeting with senators john mccain, lindsey graham and kelly ayotte. they were infuriated after rice called the assault that killed ambassador chris stevens and three other americans spontaneous and linked to a protest over a youtube video. she will be joined by acting cia director mike morell. the meeting could serve as a real test of whether rice will still be in for a fight over her potential nomination as secretary of state.

elsewhere on capitol hill today, it's back to the bargaining table for lawmakers facing a year-end fiscal cliff. yesterday the white house took a hard line insisting tax rates have to rise on the rich and warning that anymore delay on the deal could ruin consumer confidence and hurt holiday retail sales. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with the details. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. today we'll see a continued push by the white house. in fact, for the rest of this week, new details released this morning, still pushing for those taxes on the rich. meantime, here on capitol hill we're seeing some small signs of compromise. today president obama meets with small business leaders continuing his push for higher taxes for the wealthy. a new xhous economic report warns if tax breaks go away, the average middle class family will owe uncle sam another $2200 next year. >> it seems to be the thing we

can agree on, that middle class families should see an extension of these tax cuts. >> reporter: some prominent republicans dead set against raising taxes on anyone now hint they may consider other options. >> we've been open to revenue by closing loopholes as long as it's tied to spending cuts and pro growth tax reform that broadens the base. >> you don't raise rates. you cap the amount -- it hets the wealthy. >> reporter: the bottom line, americans are borrowing too much money trying to keep medicare and social security afloat. lawmakers with the fix the debt coalition meet here tomorrow. >> there's going to come a point in time where we can't borrow anymore money and interest rates are going to skyrocket. >> this congress is already one vote away from avoiding the fiscal cliff. >> one vote could keep players still far from agreement. >> and no word yet on when the next white house meeting may happen between the president and these key leaders on capitol hill. lynn? >> tracie potts in washington.

thank you. authorities in cairo are bracing for more protests in tahrir square as outrage grows over egyptian president mohamed morsi's decision to grant himself sweeping new powers. we have a live report from cairo with the latest. iman, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. thousands are pouring into the square angered by the decree. let's talk about the protests taking place. close to tahrir square is the u.s. embassy. today riot police outside the embassy compound fired teargas, pelted protesters with rocks to try to keep them back. the protesters also exchanged throwing stones at the riot police. that incident brings back serious concerns for u.s. officials because several months ago, back on september 11th a similar scene erupted outside the u.s. embassy. there's growing concern about the security force ts and their

ability to maintain law and order. we've seen clashes erupt, many of them towards the freedom of justice party. that is the political wing of the muslim brotherhood from which president mohamed morsi comes from. we're talking about the decree that he issued on thursday that gave him sweeping powers to make new laws without judicial reviews, that has angered many and what has galvanized the protesters to come back to tahrir square. egyptian judges are calling for a strike. there's no indication morsi will rescind his decision. he said he will narrowly use his new powers to ally some of their fears by opposition and other human rights organizations. >> thanks so much. well, back here at home, new york governor andrew cuomo called superstorm sandy more impactful than hurricane katrina and now both new york and new jersey are asking for a combined total of more than $71 billion in federal aid. well, in new york the money would not only pay for cleanup and recovery, it would also be used to try and limit damage

from future storms. new jersey, which saw heavy damage to its transit system and shoreline, suffered nearly $30 billion in losses. meanwhile, new jersey governor chris christie says it would be wrong for him to leave office before his state recovers. christie has now filed papers seeking re-election. let's get a check of your weather with nbc meteorologist bill karins. busy in the west. checking a big storm, right? >> not for today. we have one more day to enjoy the sunshine and nice weather. the rest of the country won't be jealous of your weather anymore. looks like a rainy period wednesday an thursday with a couple big storms coming onshore. they're calling this the atmospheric river that will be heading into the west coast. all that means is a big plume of moisture in the pacific will be heading onshore. bundle yourself up this morning. definitely areas of northern california through oregon,

washington state, cold air mass has settled in. temperatures in the 30s, typical for this time of year. nothing too brutal. the windchill is not bad either. the storm we're talking about, it's rotating and spinning around itself out here. one big storm went to the north heading just south of alaska. there's a couple other little pieces underneath it. slowly but surely all this mess will kick in to the west as we go through the next 48 hours. you can see the high, thin clouds sneaking into california, oregon and washington state. a huge area of high pressure tries to hold on for at least one more day. it's going to be a slow-moving system. once it starts raining on wednesday, a couple impulses that come onshore. then it looks like a three or four-day event and should kick out. the next 48 hours, notice the rainfall bullseye is here, central and northern california. again, that's 48 hours away. that will really add up when i show you the map tomorrow. today's forecast, enjoy it while itthe afternoon a little worse.

definitely more sunshine towards arizona and southern california. >> as far as rainfall totals, some spots could get six to eight inches, maybe enough for minor flooding. bill, thanks so much. a mystery in ramallah as the remains of former palestinian leader yasser arafat resume. a photo of what could be the world's most infamous iceberg goes under the hammer. headlights straight ahead. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." here are some of the stories making news this morning. the remains of palestinian leader yasser arafat were resumed today from his mausoleum in the west bank. international forensic experts will check for traces of poison after a swiss institute earlier this year claimed it had discovered high levels of a radioactive material on his

clothing. in norway authorities released video of a van parked at a government building in oslo just before it exploded in july 2011 killing eight people. convicted mass murderer anders breivik also killed 69 people at a summer youth camp and is currently serving a maximum sentence of 21 years. a minnesota man has been charged with murdering two teenagers who broke into his house thanksgiving day. byron david smith has admitted to shooting them more times than needed. former space shuttle commander scott kelly and russian cosmonaut mikhail kornienko will spend an entire year aboard the international space station beginning 2015. their mission will be to produce medical information about long space flights, like a trip to mars. and a rare photograph of the iceberg suspected of sinking the titanic in 1912 will be auctioned off next month. the photo taken two days before the sinking is similar to

sketches made by titanic crew members. it could sell for up to $10,000. now for a tuesday morning check on wall street, the dow closed at 12,967 after falling 42 points yesterday. the s&p lost two but the nasdaq gained nine. in overseas trading this morning, the nikkei added 34 points but in hong kong the hang seng was down 17. well, cyber monday figures are still being tallied, but according to at least one estimate, online sales were up 26% just by noon yesterday. all of that wheeling and dealing sent ebay to a seven-year high while rival retail powerhouse amazon also rose. tracking firm com score estimates that americans have spent nearly $14 billion online so far this holiday season. not bad. meanwhile, the retail sector suffered what may be worries that lower prices will hurt their bottom lines in the long run. optimism overseas may give stocks a boost this morning. after a marathon session of

talks in belgium, international leaders cut a deal to free up funds for near bankrupt greece. elsewhere, in brussels dairy farmers descended on the european parliament. that's milk there. they're spraying thousands of gallons of it in a protest at what they call excessive quotas and prices below the cost of production. back here at home the fda has halted operations in the nation's largest organic peanut butter processor. regulators used a 2011 food safety law for the first time to crack down on salmonella poisoning claiming the company sunland has sickened 41 people. well, you may have seen a message like this on your facebook news feed yesterday. lots of people were doing it, threatening that if you do not repost it, you will be giving up your rights to all of your content. all of this because the social network is now a publicly traded company. well, the chain letter style status has been debunked as a hoax. and in other fake news, wireless hot spot provider icoa

says the story published yesterday by the associated press and several other highly regarded tech blogs claiming it had been acquired by google was false. well, straight ahead on "early today," hot hawaiian lava hits the pacific and a time capsule of toys from generations gone by. plus, after he shoots following a bouncing ball, up, up in the air, and guess where it comes down? you'll find out. sports is straight ahead. a little bit of snow in the northeast. very cold still in the midwest. i'll give you an update on your forecast coming up. you're watching "early today."

here's a look at some of the other stories making news early today in america. hawaii's big island is buzzing with excitement over the orange glowing oozing volcano that is erupting there at the kilauea volcano. tourists and locals are rushing to find the best locations to watch the eruption of steam billowing from the collision of lava and seawater. it's the first time lava has reached the pacific ocean this year. well, next to florida where a water cooler kept a fisherman from drowning. look at him. the man stayed afloat for some seven hours after a large wave capsized the boat carrying him and his brother during a fishing trip. his brother was able to swim ashore, but the man clung to the lid until rescue crews arrived to pull him out. a clean-up effort at one

georgia school uncovered a classic collection of toys and books. staff at bethesda elementary discovered the rare find in the school's basement. the principal plans to preserve the antique items and display them for students. and it's beginning to look a lot like christmas in washington, d.c., as the official u.s. capital tree has arrived. the 73 foot spruce from colorado was hoisted on the capitol's west lawn. the tree will be decorated for its official lighting ceremony on december 4th. all right. how about a little sports. monday night football, panthers/eagles. and carolina's quarterback cam newton ran for two short yardage touchdowns and passed for two more to give the panthers their third win of the season 30-22 over philadelphia. and to the nba now where milwaukee went into chicago and were trailing badly, but the bucks rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter and completed the comeback edging the bulls 93-92. just by the skin of their teeth. well, in brooklyn, those guys looks familiar. part owner jay-z and beyonce

were on hand for the first nets game against the knicks in the new barclays center. 38-year-old jerry stackhouse of the nets led the way in overtime for a 96-89 win over new york. but it was this play, nicks star, carmelo anthony, that made the shot of the night as it hit the rim, it bounced off the backboard and then bounced right through the hoop for, shall we say, a lucky three-point shot. he knows it there. well, just ahead, the reviews are in for lindsay lohan's elizabeth taylor, and brad pitt defends his chanel ads. plus, we'll tell you why you don't want to mess with this crime-fighting nanny. you're watching "early today."

no problems in the west today. it's tomorrow we'll deal with a couple storms that will move through. temperatures today, seasonal, 60s in southern california, 80s near phoenix. northwest after a chilly start getting up into the 50s. as advertised as we get into wednesday, we introduce a chance of rain about everywhere. a large storm system has dragged out. as it slowly slides onshore, the heaviest rain also be in northern california and into the mountains. still a chance of rain in the northwest and in southern california. >> bill, we'll keep an eye on that. thanks so much.

well, yet another "two and a half men" star is speaking out against the show. this is getting a lot of attention. angus t. jones, the half man in the show's title, recently made some scathing comments about the program during a videotaped religious testimonial. jones, a seventh day adventist who earns about $350,000 per episode, told viewers to stop watching the show saying that it's filth and that he doesn't even want to be on it. >> he's under contract for i guess another year. >> wonder if he'll keep that $350,000 an episode. >> shocking photos emerged that showed aubrey's injuries. he's been granted a restraining order against martinez. >> he's an underwear model. difficult to model any time soon. well, reactions to lindsay lohan's role in "liz and dick" have been almost uniformly negative. joan rivers tweeted lohan's sag card will be revoked after playing elizabeth taylor. singer aimee mann wrote, i get the feeling the phrase it is

what it is was said a lot in the editing room. >> you think it's jealousy? i'm not so sure. not for lady gaga. she loved lohan's performance in the film and tweeted her some much-needed support. and finally, brad pitt is defending his infamous chanel number 5 ad. pitt told access hollywood he, quote, kind of likes the ad and that he respects what they do. he also noted parodies of the ad like that one on your right of "snl" is absolutely fair play. he's got to have a good spirit about it. >> you think? >> that's all you're going to do, right? >> if you've got the hair and you're doing the chanel. >> he knows it sells. and this comes to us from kfor news 4 in oklahoma city where one granny's hot pursuit of a robbery suspect helped police get their man. margaret mcdonald shouted stop thieves when she spotted a group of men stealing a large tv from a home.

well, the 42-year-old then gave the thieves a chase in her power chair. she kept up with one suspect until he hopped a fence, but police made the arrest because margaret was able to tell them which direction he ran in. she's got good eyes there. well, i'm lynn berry and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

in nepal one hiker's trash is another's artwork. artists have been creating an exhibit using around 1.5 tons of trash that's collected from the slopes of mt. everest. that's a good idea. hikers are required to remove

garbage that they produce in their treks up the mountain, but junk is often left behind. they create artworks with it. >> oh, i got it. >> it's made from tents, gas cans and other trash. the pieces are being sold to benefit preservation groups. well, one race might just be the coolest on earth. 46 runners from around the globe traded their snowshoes for running shoes in the eighth annual antarctic ice marathon. runners were covered from head to toe of course to protect their skin from the single digit temperatures. both male and female first place finishers were also the respective winners at the north pole marathon in april. they have that advantage. >> i signed up for the maui one. >> i know. the hawaii one we're waiting on hearing, aren't we? well, in china, how far can you go in 15 seconds? one magician left audience members scratching their heads when, watch this, it should be coming up, he teleported 2,000 yards during a live show. after stepping into a diamond shaped pod the performer reappeared 1/4 minute later atop a metal tower. how does that work?

how does that work? to further prove his skill, the magician even repeated the act with an audience member by his side. i always wanted to know how those things go. >> obviously there are twins involved. there always are twins involved in every magic act. >> there you go. >> that's the only way. >> bill, the secret magician. all right. well, it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. president obama welcomes mexico's president elect to the house today. the leaders will discuss a secure 21st century border and ways to strengthen both country's economies. after black friday, small business saturday and cyber monday, organizers are hoping the first annual giving tuesday will become a new holiday tradition. the campaign encourages folks to donate time and/or money and then share the good deed on social media. and veteran nbc newsman tom brokaw will be honored with the annual ken burns lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the arts through history related projects. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc.

and tonight be sure to watch "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. in a "today" exclusive business tycoon warren buffett is live with his take on the state of the economy, the fiscal cliff, and taxing the rich. and actress scarlett johansson talks about the oscar buzz surrounding her new role in "hitchcock." and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one.